Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I want to expand on the questions that I had for the Canadian Transportation Agency in looking at the bigger picture with respect to the economy, as well as using infrastructure related to transportation to try to boost our economy.
You made the comment earlier that we are competing on a world market, and to some extent we're having a tough time doing that simply because we may not have the proper infrastructure in place to have you as an enabler to that economy. It was disturbing this morning when I heard that the Canadian Transportation Agency made the comment “ that's not our mandate” when it comes to being a steward of an economic strategy that you folks are a part of. Having said that, one of the things I'd like to see moving forward is to change that and utilize the Canadian Transportation Agency in having an expanded mandate with respect to being a steward of an economic strategy.
Where I'm going with this is, do you feel that's the direction we should go into? Quite frankly, we do not have anyone that is a steward for economic strategy, from that strategy making proper policy, from that integrating a more integrated transportation system, and from that driving proper infrastructure investments that are based on those areas that are strategic in strength with respect to the economy and the transportation attached to that in the immediate and long term. I need to hear your thoughts on that, because I'm sure you folks often come up against that wall, where you don't have anyone that can be a steward, and ultimately what your needs are that then drive the overall national economic agenda.